The real, classic martini (you know, one that has a decent amount of vermouth)...

I’m making a martini tonight. It’s been one of those weeks. And, before you ask, OF COURSE it’ll be gin. I’m not sure which yet. I have a few questions for you martini connoisseurs:

1.) What gin (that’s not too overly esoteric…I’d like to be able to find and afford it) are you loving in martinis right now?
2.) What vermouth (same requirements as #1) are you using?
3.) The real kicker: what’s the classic, proper ration of gin:vermouth?

Looking forward to the (what are sure to be) varied responses. FWIW, my last martini was Botanist gin and Rossi vermouth (yeah, I know…). I liked the Botanist quite a bit but, if I’m being critical, it was a little too nondescript for me. (this is a duplicate post from the CT forums)

  1. Jumping between Junipero & Malfly Limone

  2. Myro Blanco Seco (I think Spain is doing awesome stuff with Vermut these days)

  3. I do 2:1 most of the time but every once in a while go down to 1.5:1

For me, I am favoring Nolet’s gin, Dolin vermouth, 2 to 1 ratio gin to vermouth, sometimes 2.5 to 1, with a splash of orange bitters.

For a classic martini at our house, it’s usually London dry (Sipsmith, Tanq10, Beefeater) with Dolin dry 2:1, expressed lemon (toss the zest after expressing).
We also drink lots of Hendrick’s with Dolin (2:1) with a caperberry garnish.

Gee, kinda sad to see such a small response back to this topic.

Berry Bros No. 3 London Dry Gin
2 or 2.5 to 1
maybe a splash of bitters.
Whatever good dry vermouth I can find handy

I surprised at the few responses. Those above are great. I ended up going with Plymouth Gin and Dolin Vermouth (thanks, all) at about 5:1 with two olives (no juice). Stirred, of course. It was very good.

I want my martini so dry it burps dust.

We’ve also been doing the occasional inverse martini (1:2) when we want a lighter beverage.

6 parts gin
1 part vermouth
2 dashes orange bitters
stir until cold
garnish of your choice, but remember it is a cocktail, not a vegetable salad. Olive juice in a martini is an abomination.

Dry martinis go with vodka. Gin martinis aren’t supposed to be dry! The gin can handle it!